Page 8 of Coming Home

He scowled. “Theater? I thought we were just doing dinner.”

“Dinner and a show. And it’s important.”

He sighed. There was little he wouldn’t do for Dr. Mallincoat she’d been his close friend and confidant for many years.

Emily leaned over and kissed David on the cheek. Before pulling away, she whispered. “I’m going to the railing to have a peek at the dining room. Talk to her.”

He squeezed her arm gently as she pulled away and watched as she made her way to the loft railing.

“Thank you for this, Tamara,” David said when he turned back to her. “Now talk to me.”

“Don’t use your Dom voice on me, David. You know it doesn’t work.”

He smirked. “Not what I was doing and you know it. But seriously. You’re clearly having some trouble. So talk to me.”

She sighed. “It’s a client. He’s trying to blackmail me, and I’m not exactly sure what to do about it. My own code of ethics says I don’t out people, but he’s threatening to violate that boundary.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “So you go to the fucking police. What’s the problem.”

Her lips parted as she took a slow breath. “It could cause complications for my day job. Maybe even for you and Emily. You’re connected to the lifestyle too because of Solitaire.”

“Is it a dean? Someone over you? You’ve got tenure, Tam. I don’t see the problem.”

“Let’s say he’s one of the few people who could revoke that tenure.”

David groaned. “Jesus Christ. Did you accept the chancellor as one of your clients? I thought you didn’t mix your jobs.”

Tamara winced. “I took him on in Texas when he wasn’t the chancellor of Berkley. It almost feels like he followed me here.”

“You think he somehow pulled strings to get named chancellor? That’s a little far fetched.”

She sighed. “I know. Like I said, it’s a sticky situation.”

Emily was headed their direction again, so she patted his arm and motioned for one of the servers to bring her another drink. “Let’s finish this later, David. For now, we can just enjoy dinner.”

He wasn’t exactly a fan of tabling the discussion, but there was no reason to trouble Emily with this information. Not right now.

“I’ll get someone on it. We’ll fix this.”

“I love that we get to watch the chefs prepare the food,” Emily said as she settled next to David.

“It’s a true delight,” Tamara said. “You can even get up and go to the prep station and watch them cook and plate the food up close. Ask questions. It’s fun.”

Emily clapped her hands together. “How long has this place been here?”

David shrugged. “A few years. It started as a pop up but became so popular that they made it a permanent thing and now it has two Michelin stars. I’m sorry it has never occurred to me to bring you here.”

They were led downstairs a few minutes later and seated at the end of one of the two long communal tables in the dining room. The chef stood at the head of the room and waited for everyone to be seated before he welcomed everyone and gave an overview of that night’s tasting menu. Emily was excited by the menu notebook and pencil where she could take notes about the meal for a memento of the evening. Soon they were enjoying spelt and rye bread with fresh butter as they waited for the first course to be served.

David enjoyed watching Emily experience all the new foods and wine pairings. The chefs had created a real treat of a menu that night, and he no longer thought he was going to regret accepting Tamara’s invitation to go out that evening.

When it was time to leave, David gripped Emily’s hand on the way to the waiting SUV. “Have I mentioned how beautiful you are?” he asked as they approached the open passenger door.

“Have I mentioned how handsome you are?” She winked as she climbed into the backseat and waited for him to join her.

“Victoria Theater?” the driver asked as Tamara took her spot in the front seat.

“Yes please.”

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